New record as Ireland’s workforce surpasses 2.5 million

The number of people employed has risen to 2,505,800, exceeding a target the government set two years earlier, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

he target of 2.5 million people in employment by 2024 was set in the economic stimulus program published last June.

It also exceeds pre-pandemic levels. In the first quarter of 2020, the number of employees was 2,347,000.

The employment rate for 15-64 year olds reached 72.8% in the first quarter of the year, up from 65.6% in the first quarter of last year.

During the year, the number of hours worked per week also increased by 17.6%, representing an additional 12.1 million hours per year through the first quarter of 2022. This increase brings the number of hours worked per week in Ireland to a record high of 80.8 million.

The number of employees absent from work, including temporary layoffs and furloughs, during the reference week in the first quarter of 2022 was 168,100, which was the lowest level reported by the CSO since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking of the results, statistician Sam Scriven said: “Employment rose in most economic sectors in the year to first quarter 2022, with the largest increase being in the accommodation and catering sector (+62.2% or +62,400).” However, employment in the sector, which now stands at 162,600 people, remains below the level of 169,500 recorded in early 2020.

The Labor Force Survey also found that 126,700 people were classified as unemployed in the first quarter of the year, giving an unemployment rate of 4.8%.

“In Q1 2022, the total number of people in employment increased by 9.6% or 231,400 to 2,632,500 compared to Q1 2021. The number of people not in employment was 1,431,000, down 10.8% or 172,400 from a year earlier,” added Scriven.